FHSU Athletics
(RV) Fort Hays State (17-9, 9-8 MIAA)
at Pittsburg State (15-11, 9-7 MIAA)
Saturday, February 21 • 3:30 p.m.
Pittsburg, Kan. • John Lance Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Fort Hays State will play its final road contest of the regular season on Saturday when it takes on Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kan. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at John Lance Arena. The Tigers enter at 17-9 overall and 9-8 in the MIAA, while the Gorillas are 15-11 overall and 9-7 in the MIAA.
The Tigers are coming off a tight 64-60 loss at Missouri Southern on Thursday evening in Joplin. The Tigers did not face a deficit in the game until about 13 minutes remaining. From that point, the game was a back-and-forth battle that saw 13 lead changes and six ties. Missouri Southern scored the final five points of the game, all at the free-throw line. Kyle Grill led the Tigers with 15 points, followed by Muhamed Kante with 13.
Pittsburg State is coming off an 86-70 win over Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday night. The Gorillas joined Missouri Southern in jumping FHSU in the MIAA standings by a half game. This will be the only meeting of the regular season between FHSU and PSU.
Fort Hays State holds a 92-78 advantage in the all-time series with Pittsburg State. They snapped a three-game losing string to the Gorillas with a 62-58 win last year in Hays, the only meeting of the 2024-25 season between the schools. The teams have split the last 10 meetings in Pittsburg, 5-5. FHSU's last win in Pittsburg was during the 2022-23 season.
The Tigers have the sixth-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 63.0 points per game. They rank 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense (39.6 percent) and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.6 percent).
Dan Mukuna (17.0), Kyle Grill (13.3), and Jahvari Martino (11.5) all continue to average double figures in scoring for the Tigers this season. Mukuna leads in rebounding at 7.5 per game, while Lucas Hammeke heads the Tigers in assists at 3.5 per game. Muhamed Kante has provided a scoring surge of late, reaching double figures in each of the last five games.
Connor Rogers leads the Gorillas in scoring at 18.9 points per game. Mason English dishes out 5.7 assists per game, while averaging 15.4 points per game.